Family Tree Freebie

I am working on my book about me and one of the first pages I've done is a family tree. Here's what it looks like:

I used pieces from the Autumn Harvest November 2010 Collab from Stuff to Scrap.  

The specific designers are: Adranna's Cafe, Scraps N Pieces, Sexy and hot Mamma Scrapper aka Becky, Designs by SnowLady, Digital Scrap Fun, Jenasis Designs.  I think that's everyone I used.

I love this layout.  It's simple and straight to the point.  It's just the beginning of my book, the beginning of me. I made the papers and trees into a jpg for you to use, if you'd like.  I included some tags that I made and a rivet, staple and paper clip to fasten the tags on the layout.  I made new tags for you since I couldn't include the original tags, because I couldn't include separate png's according to the designer's TOU, but I think if I had made them first I would have used them instead!

Anyway, I hope you like it.  If you'd like to start your own "Book of Me" I recommend starting with the book by Angie Pedersen called The Book of Me: A Guide to Scrapbooking About Yourself. It's an awesome resource and it's not very expensive, either.

Presenting the Beautiful Miss McKenzie....

Here are three more layouts I did of Miss Mac. From her sweet little freckled nose to her precious heart, she's turning out to be a lovely young lady.  She's the encourager of the family.  She's always cheering someone on!  She comes home and tells me how upset she was at school that someone was picked on, or got hurt.  She feels everything deep in her heart, but she doesn't say a lot.  She ponders everything and stores things away in her heart. She's smart as a whip and so funny!  Just her giggling makes me laugh.  She's away for spring break right now, and I miss her.  The house is darker without her.

This one is of some silly pics I snapped at her school Valentine's party.  I'm the only mom with a camera, so she gets a little uncomfortable with me always taking her picture...but those other kids just aren't as interesting as she is! Click the pic for a larger view.

 Kit: February 2010 Color Challenge at DSO: Specifically Tiggconn, Mojo, Moni, Kim B, Deatles, dhariana, Blue, Brenda Grafton...Thanks to all these designers!  And thanks to the Daily Digi for help with titles

This one is also Valentine's Day.  I got some other people in these, LoL.  The journaling tells you that this is the last class party.  Next year, in Junior High, they don't do class parties anymore.  Also, this was Taylor's last day at school. She moved that weekend and they were very sad.  It's been a difficult time for Mac.

 Kit: Same as above.  You guys ROCK!

This is of McKenzie and my sister's Yorkie, Shelby.  Shelby is the cutest little rat in the whole world! She's a real love bug and wallows and rubs all over you, sometimes so much it's hard to hold on to her.  She is in to everything and knows everything.  She barks at things like she's really telling them off then acts like, "Well, I guess I showed them." She really cracked me up!  McKenzie thinks all things small are cute, She's such a GIRL! :)

Kit: I Will Survive Facebook freebie from Persnickety Prints...Gotta love these guys! AND if you "like" them on facebook they give out regular freebies, coupons AND they have contests for prints.  Awesome. 

Check 'em out on Facebook.

Three Dogs and Corned Beef

I still have my sister's dogs, but she'll be picking them up this evening.  I'm going to miss them, believe it or not.  Tito is so sweet and Shelby is a lot of fun, she makes me laugh all the time.  She's such a spaz.  My Swiffer finally started getting used to them yesterday and will hang out with us until Shelby gets excited and tries to play with him, then he runs and hides.  He's such a fraidy cat, poor guy.  They did both sleep with me last night, but Swiff slept on the other side of the bed.

Travis' family does a St. Patrick's Day dinner and they all get together and eat corned beef.  I have missed it the last couple of years, because the Hearts at Home National Conference has been on that weekend.  This year, however, the conference was before St. Pat's so we decided to have it at our house this year.  I've never done corned beef before, but it came out awesome! I used two recipes from foodtv.com: one for corned beef in the crockpot (I just put in the beef, carrots, rutabaga and leeks) and one for some garlic baby red potatoes. The beef came out tender and juicy and I even enjoyed the carrots and rutabaga, which is not one of my favorite veggies.  The garlic potatoes were SUPER easy to make and delicious.  I served it with the horseradish sauce from the recipe (not too horseradish-y) and a loaf of bakery bread.  It got rave reviews...maybe I can cook after all. ;)

This is the layout I did today.  I loved this kit and have been saving it for a couple months because I knew McKenzie's birthday was coming and she'd have a sleepover.

Kit: Sleepover blog freebie by Crazy4Monograms

Alpha: A Vintage Christmas by Trixie Scraps

A Beautiful Spring Day

Today is a fabulous day! It's going to be 70 degrees here in Illinois, even better than yesterday.  These are the first nice days we've had.  I hope it doesn't rain.  I love being able to have the doors open.  My dog thinks he's somebody when he can just go in and out as he pleases!

I am also watching two dogs for one of my sisters, a 7 year old, very mellow mini schnauzer and a 5 month old, very hyper yorkie.  The Schnauzer is very sweet and spends most of his time watching the door for his Mom and Dad to come back.  The Yorkie is a spring bouncing around.  She nibbles on my toes if I'm standing and rolls in my hair if I lay down!  Yesterday, they didn't eat much, but this morning they ate like piggies and Tito is so good, he just moves aside if Shelby (the yorkie) wants his food.  Since she eats like lightning and he takes his time, I have to pick her up or she'd eat his, too!

So, we got up to go outside this morning and I laid down on the floor to play with Shelby for a little bit.  She's so funny, she just hops and jumps at my hand while I push her around...and she growls and yips like she's very ferocious.  While we were playing Tito came up and laid down right next to me.  He wanted me to pet him and rubbed his face all over my tshirt.  I figured if he was getting his scent on me, I must be his now.  So I scratched him for awhile, he even showed me his belly for a good rub.  I love dogs.

Here are three layouts I just finished.  I really like two of them, the one of Christmas with Grandma isn't my favorite.  Isn't it funny how that happens?  I worked it all out and placed everything on the page, but it just didn't all come together.  I may redo it someday....in my spare time. :)

 Kit: A Vintage Holiday, blog freebie, from Trixie Scraps Designs

WordArt: Elegant WordArt by Bethany

 Kit: Hellraiser, a collab from Sunshine Studios

(hmmm...Hellraiser...how appropriate)

Kit: The Altered Path, blog freebie from The Latest Scoop, Too

March Color Challenge

I decided not to wait so late this month! So here's my mini for the color challenge.  Sweet and simple.

Download

The shadows are just for the preview.

Thanks to Andrea Gold, Scrappin Cop for the overlays I used.